I Know You
by Wolburge
Summary: Recently after HTTYD2, Hiccup deals with the stresses and struggles of Chief as well as his relationship with Astrid
1. Chapter 1

So, I've never wrote a multiple chapter story like this, so I hope you enjoy it. I'll try to update it when I can, I just kinda had this idea and started to role with it...so...hope you all enjoy.

Chapter 1

"So Astrid, y'know, we've been the talk of the town for over five years now..." Hiccup began, but stopped when Toothless simply shook his head at him. "Yeah I know, I started off pretty awkward and it wasn't gonna get any better was it?" Toothless shook his had at him in response.

"Okay, so, how about this..." Hiccup paused for a moment thinking about what he was going to say. "Astrid, ever since we were young I knew that you were the one for me. I remember the first time you put out a fire, it was the hottest thing I had ever seen, except not actually hot y'know, because you put out the fire."

Toothless narrowed his eyes at Hiccup, giving him the all too familiar, "What are you doing" face.

"Yeah, probably shouldn't have said that last part right?" Hiccup released the air that had been building in his lungs as he felt his body collapse on the grass. "I mean, I have to ask her soon. Before, we had a little time, more time to plan all this out, but I mean...Now that I'm the new chief, it's assumed that I would have a wife...and more than that, it's been assumed that Astrid would be my future wife for a little over five years...I just want the moment to be right buddy."

Toothless smirked at him and nodded in understanding. Hiccup leaned against his dark scales, finding comfort in the position he had been in for so many years.

"Astrid, I know we wanted more time to figure all of this out, and I know we wanted to wait a little bit so we could do some more independent things on our own, but Astrid, I love you. There's no better time than the present. Will you do me the honor in becoming my wife?" Toothless started nodding beside Hiccup, showing his toothy smile as he did so.

"You like that buddy?" Toothless bobbed his head up and down in agreement.

"Okay, well, we should get back to Berk. I'll ask her tonight when she comes over for dinner." Toothless gave him a big grin. Hiccup patted his stomach before climbing on top of the saddle and locking his prosthetic into place. Hiccup meant to say something, but he found that no words could come out of his mouth, the task of the evening was coming and it was a daunting one. He simply patted Toothless's side, and the pair took to the skies.

Hiccup found himself appreciating this flight more than others. Above the clouds, where the swirl of colors began, where space met the earth, it was the most incredible sight he had ever experienced. He relished in the moment, experiencing it for what felt almost like a last time. He knew he would be flying again, and that nothing could come between him and Toothless, the fight with Drogo had proved that, but something about this flight felt final. The last time he might be able to experience it while being the person he was in that moment. Things were changing now that he was chief, he had more responsibilities and more concerns than usual. Flying and adventure was no longer on the top of his lists of responsibilities.

When the pair landed in Berk a commotion was beginning. Hiccup swiftly unlatched himself from Toothless and started making his way into the center of the town.

"Hey what's going on here?" Hiccup asked, startled at the large group of people shouting.

"The dragon babies burnt down some of my house!"

"Some are leaving to go nest again and we can't get any of the work we want done!"

"The ice is getting worse, why can't we just melt it all?"

"Well, that would cause a flood-" Hiccup began, but yet another voice cut him off.

"When will the Dragon Training Academy be open again?"

"Well, we're working on it. We have to use those dragons to help fix Berk, there's still major reconstruction to be done-" Hiccup began again. But it was no use, everyone had a new problem, and since he had been gone for over a day, nobody had dealt with them properly.

He did his best to answer everyone's concerns and solve their problems, but there were things he could do nothing about. Dragons flying off to nest put projects off schedule, but they couldn't confine them to Berk.

Hiccup wasn't sure when the line had disappeared, only that it was very late, and that he had intended to propose to Astrid long before the time he left the town center. He climbed on Toothless's back and let his dragon escort him home. He felt himself slipping in and out of sleep as they walked through the town and over it's rugged terrain. Eventually they made it to the Haddock residence and he slowly climbed off of Toothless.

"Alright, night pal. Have a good rest, I'll tell you about the lack of events happening in the morning." Toothless rolled his eyes at Hiccup, but they both knew that Hiccup was too exhausted to do any proposing that night. He walked through the door to find Astrid waiting in the main room for him at their dining table.

"Hey, I heard how busy town hall had gotten, I'm so sorry I wasn't able to come help." She said, obviously concerned.

"Nah, it's okay M'lady. Just y'know, all the Chief stuff I'd been avoiding." Hiccup found himself settling into his chair across from her, too exhausted to do anything but put his chin on the table and let his eyes look up at her.

"Where have you been the past day or so?"

"Y'know, the usual, random place that I find off the map." A slight smile appeared on her face when he said that, but then it slowly faded into something else he was unsure of.

"What's that look for?"

"Nothing."

"Astrid, you just gave me your pity look didn't you?" Hiccup's eyes narrowed at her.

"I just wonder what you're running away from when you're out there."

"What makes you think that I'm running away from something?" Hiccup knew the answer to that question, because he was running. He was running from responsibility, from Astrid sometimes, he was just running for some alone time, a luxury the Chief does not get.

"Just because, I know you." She smiled again, one of those smiles that made Hiccup's heart melt. It was true, she did know him, better than anyone else.

"Y'know he was better at this than myself. I mean, he was better at-" Hiccup caught himself before any of the words, proposal, marriage, or relationships could make their way into the conversation. "Dealing with masses, and fixing the village and just...Chief stuff. I didn't really get to become accustom to any of this y'know..." Hiccup's voice trailed off as he thought more about it. What he would give for another day with Stoick, another day of learning, another day where he wasn't so alone in his responsibilities.

"I should get some sleep, I'm sorry. I know I promised you I would eat dinner and we would have such a nice night, but I really just need to rest Astrid. I have more things to take care of tomorrow." She nodded in understanding. "I can get Toothless to take you home," Hiccup paused for a moment. Something caught in the back of his throat, some words that were trying to come out but he didn't know what they were until they finally escaped his lips. "Or you could stay here tonight. That is, if you want."

Astrid's look was not something he had expected. There wasn't a huge shock of him asking that question. There wasn't a stammering or disapproval about what would the town say if they had heard she had stayed. There was compassion in her expression, her blue eyes looking down at him like she understood in that moment exactly what he was asking even though he himself wasn't quite sure.

Her hand nudges his gently, "That would be nice," She said. Hiccup found himself getting up from the table and grabbing for her hand, intertwining her fingers with his and he walked down the hallway.

Well that's it! Hope you enjoyed it, more to come in the future I hope!


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright so I've gotten some positive feedback on the first chapter so I figured no time better than the present to continue this tale...**

Chapter 2

Hiccup grabbed the candle that was hanging on a mounting outside of his room on the wall. He carried it with him into the looming darkness, turning as he entered to his right and lighting a similar candle on the wall. He returned the original candle to its position in the hallway and walked ever so slowly into his room, unaware of what his own intentions were with Astrid when he asked her if she wanted to stay.

He simply walked over to his bed and fell on it, exhaustion from the day overwhelming him. He heard her slight chuckle in the background, but his eyes had begun to close and he felt his body relax into his slumber. But then he suddenly felt the touch of a hand on his prosthetic, bolting him straight up.

"Astrid, don't." She looked at him confused.

"Hiccup, this must be so unpleasant to sleep in. You're telling me you sleep in this every night?" Her confusion was also mixed with concern, and he was unsure that anything he said would change her mind, but he had to attempt.

"You never know what's going to happen. It's not like a hand or an arm Astrid. I can't grab it and leave if there's an emergency, if anything happens I can't go anywhere without that leg."

"Yes, but how long has it been since something like that has happened?" The room sat in silence as the words lingered in the air.

"He'll come back you know, and I have to protect Berk. That's my job." Her face softened and she leaned toward him.

"Hiccup, nobody is coming back. They know not to mess with us. _He_ knows not to mess with us." Her hand reached out to him, but he moved his head away from it.

"I really need some sleep Astrid-"

"Then I'm taking this off-"

"Astrid no!" Hiccup lost control of himself for a moment. Just a moment, but it was enough to receive a strange look from her.

"What's the matter Hiccup?" Her expression displayed all confusion now.

"I just don't want you to take it off, is that so bad?" Her eyes narrowed at him when he said this. She had a hunch, but it didn't feel right. Her Hiccup was above these types of feelings. Wasn't he?

"Is it me?" She sounded hurt as she said the words, and he immediately wanted to comfort her. This was not his intention.

"No, of course not." He tried to reassure her, but he knew there was truth to her words. "I'm just...I'm very...I don't...Astrid I don't have half of my leg. And I know it's a viking thing, most of us are who we are because of a missing limb, but we both know I'm not the standard viking. I've never entirely felt like one, not the way Dad-" His voice cut, he felt something in the back of his throat stop him from finishing that sentence.

Astrid's face softened at his words, she understood his insecurities, even though they seemed so out of place. Her Hiccup, first to ride dragons, genius engineer of the town, adventurer, and now Chief. He had so much good in him, it was surprising after all this time he was still concerned with his appearance.

"Hiccup," She leaned in closer to him, knowing that his name and the way she said it was enough to reassure him. His hand reached for the back of her neck, bringing her closer to him. His lips met hers with urgency, trying to convey a point, trying to tell her she meant everything to him. She felt herself lean into the kiss, her hands moving to play with his messy dark hair.

He broke away from her, looking into her deep blue eyes, knowing she was becoming lost in his green ones. His eyes travelled to his leg reluctantly, and his head nodded. She understood, and moved to his straps, undoing them with care. She had gotten used to his inventions, aware of how most of them were constructed and held together. She took it apart with ease, and slowly moved the wooden peg off of what was left of his leg.

He had expected her to gasp. He had expected her to see the scars that hadn't completely healed and gag at them. He almost had expected her to leave from the hideousness of his stump, but she did none of those things. She didn't move for a moment, but then he felt her single finger, outlining the scars that covered the end of it. Her jaw clenched and her face became very rigid, as if she was trying to hold back some emotion.

"Astrid, what's wrong? Let's just put it back on-" Her lips collided with his, breaking him off mid sentence. He was confused, and shocked at the emotions she portrayed in it, and then she broke it off quicker than when it had started. "Astri-"

"You've never let me see it." The words rang through the silence like a bell, piercing Hiccup's heart.

"It's not necessarily the most appealing thing to look at."

"Hiccup," she exhaled and she rolled onto the bed next to him. The two stared at the ceiling without saying a word, hoping the right one would come to mind. "Hiccup," Astrid began, breaking the silence. "Your dad didn't know how to do bandages. He was very confused with it actually, and I had visited so often I understood the basic procedures. You were out for a long time, so I..."

Hiccup's eyes widened for a moment when he understood what she was saying. "So you'd seen it, I just never showed you."

"Yeah, but it was different back then, it was still healing. I hadn't seen all the scars, I hadn't seen-"

"The horror that was my leg."

"No, the pain that was looking at something every day, and remembering what it had looked like before." She turned toward him, looking at his silent face still staring upward.

"Dad never lost a single limb. He took on more dragons than I could count but he never lost a single limb."

"You can't keep comparing yourself to Stoick."

"And why not?" His rotated towards her now, looking her in the eyes. "He was one of the best chief's we've ever had."

"But do you remember when he first learned you had been training Toothless? Do you remember when you told him not to go after the Red Death? Do you remember when you had tried to tell him that you didn't want to fight dragons? Remember when in the beginning he was upset you were neglecting some of your duties to hang out with me? Hiccup your father made mistakes, he wasn't perfect, and neither are you. But you bring something Stoick never brought to the Chief position."

"And what redeeming quality is that?" He asked quietly. Her hand found his way to his chest and patted his heart.

"You've got a spirit no other Chief has had." He looked at her, and if it wasn't for the fact that the question would've ruined the moment he would've asked her to marry him right there. He hadn't loved her the way he did then. "Now sleep Chief, there's probably lots to be done in the morning."

"Yes M'lady." He smiled at her as he drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

**Well that's the second chapter. Thanks for reading! More to come soon I hope :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**I know it's been a while since I posted so here's some more, hope you like it.**

Hiccup's eyes opened wide to hear the screams from the town. With a moment's glance he saw the brilliant going fire in the street.

"No," he whispered frantically. "Astrid, Astrid wake up. Astrid." Hiccup shook at her shoulders until her eyes shot open.

"Hiccup what's-" Her question was cut off with a scream from outside. Without hesitation, she swiftly got up and grabbed for Hiccup's prosthetic, securing it quickly. The two rushed down the hall toward the front door.

"Toothless!" Hiccup called as they emerged through the front door. The dragon quickly appeared on his right, ready for action.

"I'm gonna go get Stormfly and help anyone! Find out what this is I'll be there as soon as I can!" Astrid shouted as she started to run off down the road.

"Astrid wait!" She spun around only to have his lips collide with hers in a moment of passion. Hiccup broke the kiss quickly, holding her close. "Be safe." Without hesitation he turned around and leapt onto Toothless's back ad took to the skies.

"Where is it coming from bud?" Hiccup shouted over the roaring wind and screams from below. The town was a flurry of red and orange colors. Fire burning most of the houses, marketplaces, and barns. Toothless shot to the left, and Hiccup leaned into him, flicking his ankle back and forth as his dragon continued to gain speed and turn and dive around the catastrophe that was around them.

Toothless shot up vertically in the sky, breaking through the clouds, and then remaining still in the air above them. "What is it Toothless?" Hiccup asked as he looked through the darkness. But then, he saw a shadow, a brief glimpse was only enough for Hiccup's fear to be realized. "Drago..." The name slipped from his mouth with hesitation.

The shadow shot downward toward Berk, and that was all Hiccup needed to snap himself out of his fear paralysis. "Toothless let's go!" And the pair dove down after the figure. They followed the dragon Drago was riding as it spewed fire into new areas of Berk. "Faster Toothless! Fast-NO!"

Hiccup's heart stopped as the events that followed his scream transpired in slow motion before his eyes. He saw Stormfly fly up to Drago's level, he heard the viking scream of his beloved. He saw the flames as they engulfed the two of them, swirling around them like a vortex. In horror, he saw as Astrid's body began to plummet toward a barn, already caught on fire, and watched, feeling Toothless begin to surge toward her, but knowing they were too late, and far too helpless, as she broke through the top of the roof and collided with the ground beneath her.

Toothless crashed through the ceiling, colliding with the ground heavily. Hiccup scrambled, almost leaping out of his saddle toward the still figure on the ground. He wrapped her up in his arms, seeing her armor charred and broken, her flash raw, her golden hair with streaks of blood running through it.

"Astrid, Astrid please," He whimpered to her, shaking her body slightly in hopes that it would help regain her consciousness.

"Hiccup," Her voice was barely a whisper as her eyes fluttered half open.

"Hang onto me okay." But Hiccup could feel the heat around them, the flames beginning to engulf the barn. There wasn't enough to get them all out, there wasn't enough time to get to a medical center, that was even if one was working. There was no time for anything.

"Hiccup, I love-" Her body became weak, and her eyes began to flutter shut. Her mouth was dry and unmoving as she fought for any strength left in her.

"Astrid. Astrid hold on. Astrid! Astrid! Astrid!"

"Hiccup!" Hiccup's eyes snapped open to face the ceiling of the house. He felt his chest rise and fall rapidly, sweat dripping down his face and chest, his body was uncontrollably shivering.

"Hiccup it was just a dream, it's okay. I'm here okay, I'm right here." He felt her pressed against the side of his body, one hand on his shoulder, the other on his chest. Hiccup closed his eyes for a moment as his breathing slowed.

"Drago is not coming back, it was just a nightmare," He recited to himself. "Everyone in Berk is fine, it was just a nightmare," He continued. "None of it was real, it was just a nightmare," He concluded.

Astrid grew in concern as he recited the words over and over to himself until his breathing grew steady and his heartbeat began to slow down. "Hiccup." His name felt empty as it escaped her mouth. So much sorrow was in her word, so much concern and fear for him. "This isn't the first one is it?" Hiccup's head shook slightly as he turned his body toward her. Her arms wrapped around him as she pressed her forehead against his.

"I don't want you to worry about me I'm fine." He breathed to her, his arms slowly wrapping around her body, bringing her closer to him.

"I've never seen you like that before. You were convulsing and shouting, and your body still hasn't stopped shivering." Hiccup was about to object when he noticed she was true, his breathing and heartbeat had slowed but his arms and chest still shivered as if he was buried in the Berk snow. "And Hiccup...you were shouting my name..." His arms wrapped around her tighter, pulling her closer to him so their chests touched.

"Right now, losing you is my biggest fear." He let the words tumble from his mouth and fill the quiet of the room.

"It's the same one isn't it? Over and over again, replaying in your mind and you don't remember it until you're awake and after the fact do you?" Hiccup nodded his head in response, he felt a vigorous shiver run through his body deep within his core when he thought of the dream again.

"I'm sorry-" He began to apologize.

"Shh." She whispered cutting him off. "You've had a long couple of days and need some rest, just sleep okay." Hiccup's eyes closed at her will, but he immediately felt a fear fall over his body as soon as he did so. His hearbeat quickened, his breathing became short.

"Hiccup-" How well she knew him that she could pick up a change like than in a second.

"What if I have it again?" He asked as he felt his body begin to drift.

"I'll be right here to wake you up. I'm not leaving you."

"I can't keep watching you die. I can't-" But Hiccup could already feel the exhaustion setting in further, he could feel the sleep coming closer, and even though it terrified him, he knew he had no choice in the matter.

"Hiccup I'm right here it's okay." Her voice was soothing, sending him deeper and deeper into his subconcsious.

"Marry me Astrid." Even though he could feel her breath hitch, and her eyelashes brush his skin so quickly that he knew her eyes had popped open. He could hear her shockingly murmur his name. All of it drained away before he could hear a response, as he felt himself fall asleep for the second time that night.

**I know this part the two probably got a little out of character, but I do feel like Hiccup has suffered a lot in his life, and seriously he probably has got some serious PTSD going on, so I hope even though it's a little out of character it makes sense and you enjoyed. Okie doke, see you next time. **


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